If it didn't happen to you yet, then you can consider yourself lucky, but here's what I had to keep facing these last months - some of my "noobish" Yahoo contacts sent a mass message saying that "Yahoo had reached its user limit, and if you don't send the message to all your contacts, it will cost you $10.00 to re-activate your account." Yeah, sure, how could one be so mindless to believe such a think? There are also localized versions of the hoax, saying something about "Yahoo's president" and naming a person having no link with Yahoo, and so on, but that's not the reason that pushed me to write this, because Yahoo seems to have a user limit, after all...

Currently, I have about 250 contacts in my list, but I don't worry too much about the number, because there's a constant "natural selection" taking place. You can also take it as an advice, because purging your contacts list is very healthy, believe me! OK, here's what to do - when somebody sends you a stupid hoax/mass message like the ones I mentioned above, explain everything to him nicely, proving that only a monkey could believe such a thing(oh, yeah, I love those "James is a sick kid, if you send this message to all your contacts, his bank account will get a cent for each message sent" mass spams!), ignore him(her) when such a thing happens for the second time, but issue a fair warning, while third time it's block/delete!
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No, about the Yahoo Messenger user limit... After searching the Web, trying to find some official confirmation, I didn't manage to find anything clear, but some of my friends who are into marketing and have huge lists managed to enlighten me(thanks, buddies!), so now I am able to give you the right answer:

As we speak, the Yahoo Messenger user limit is 1,000 contacts, so don't forget to PURGE on a regular basis!

That's it, I hope today's piece of IT knowledge will help you in the future, or at least will manage to clear some things out for your general knowledge, right now.

"How can I help my computer stop freezing up?" is a question you don't want to ask yourself, believe me! On the other hand, even experts get to this point once in a while, so you shouldn't become desperate when random freezes occur. Usually, things that seem to be random are far from being this way, so first thing to do is to notice when this unfortunate event occurs, then think about stopping it. Before moving on, let me tell you only one thing - did you try turning on the heat? Just look at the frozen computer below!



The easy solution to the problem described here is to grab a specialist and ask him to solve it for you, or call your geek friends, if you got any. The interesting part is that you can take it step by step, and solve the problem by yourself, without any risks of becoming a computer geek yourself. Here's a quick walkthrough...

1. Check all cables and power connectors - for the start, you don't want to get inside your computer, so just check external cables to be in place

2. Ensure your computer is properly ventilated - if you stuck the poor machine in a corner, with less than at least 8-10 inches to the nearest wall, it may not be able to get fresh air for cooling, and freezes could happen due to - how ironically - overheating.

3. Scan for viruses - if you don't have any antivirus software installed, you could try one of the many online scanners available, like those from Kaspersky, BitDefender, or Trend Micro.

4. Sometimes, faulty drivers may cause system freezes. Spare a few minutes to update to the latest drivers for your video card, <-250x250 Square - right->mainboard, and other devices you may have, and then look for problems with them online(the official forums for each manufacturer of those devices should be great places to start with).

5. If the virus scan proves to come up with good results, don't be glad that your computer is clean. Try to spare a few minutes and check our computer safety tips. They may not help you avoid computer freezes, but will surely lower the risks of getting infected with some virus...

6. Defragment your hard drive and clean your Windows OS(if you have Linux or Mac OS X, you don't need to do such things)! The Windows cleaning tips we talked about some months ago will surely get come in handy here!

7. While speed tweaks are exactly what the name says, sometimes they can fix issues, although this doesn't make any sense. When it comes to Windows, sometimes you just do it, and thank your lucky star in the end - I know how does that feel, I've been there. I was trying to do one thing, I ended up fixing it in a completely different manner, and I couldn't explain exactly what happen. In the end, it's the result that really matters - just be sure to check the speed tweaks for XP article, it may help you a lot!

This would be all the important stuff you should think about when talking about computers freezing over - at least that's what comes to me when I think about it now. "How can I help my computer stop freezing up?" is not just a question, it's a nightmare. If you have some story to share with us, please go ahead and do it, we're all listening, but before I go, let me tell you a very short story of mine...

...a few years ago, I had a computer that started to reboot about two times when I tried to start Windows. No hardware or software changes happened in the last few days, so I almost went crazy. I managed to torn apart the computer, then bring all the pieces together, but reboots continued. After the initial reboots, computer was rock solid, and I had no reliability problems. What do you think helped me stop the strange problem? Patience, and nothing more! The same way it started, the same way it ended - without any special event to make it happen. That's my story; for now, good bye and see you soon!

You know what's the most intriguing part about Windows Vista? I told you a few times before that, as far as I am concerned, it works just great, I have no reliability problems, and most programs I ran so far on it didn't encounter any compatibility issues(remember that I said "most," and not "all"), but the parts I really can't stand are the so-called "security innovations"("UAC" should say it all) and the "new, streamlined, amazing interface," which really sucks, if you ask me. Since more and more people get back to XP, I thought that talking about downloadable Windows XP skins would be a good idea, although there will be some saying "Windows XP is dead," and I respect their opinion. I just wish them a happy life with Vista, so now we can get to the subject...

While "downloadable Windows XP" skins often involves patching your Windows or installing some of the programs I will mention later, there are also Windows themes(themes, skins, call them as you wish, it's the same thing) available right from Microsoft and, most important, officially supported by them, in most cases, if you really need support for such a thing. Unfortunately, I can't say I was impressed by the content I found on Microsoft.com, but you should spare a few minutes to check the Windows XP Desktop Enhancements page.<-336x280 Large Rectangle - right-> Apart from Windows Media Player skins, you can also find screensavers, wallpapers, and a few desktop themes, as I was just saying.

Moving to more serious things, we have TuneUp Utilities 2008, a very good all-in-one system optimizer that features "Individual Windows styling." Now, the program is priced at $39.95, but you can get the trial version and play with it for a while, or simply go to this page and see the visual styles available for TuneUp Utilities users. You'll need the program to use them, anyway, but I think this is the easiest way to see what you'll get.

For a long time, Aston was my favorite Windows XP customization choice, but I had to drop it along the way due to some strange incompatibilities. Anyway, the idea is that, for most Widows XP stylers, this program is a heavenly gift. Just check its official page for a few minutes, and you'll get the idea(just to let you know...when they say this is faster than the default Windows shell, it's more than just advertising!).

Other than the above, there are also WindowsBlinds, StyleXP and many others(your hints are welcomed!), but the best resource when it comes to downloadable Windows XP skins remains ThemeXP, probably the richest Windows XP graphics resource on the Web(who knows a better one, step forward and say it out loud!).

These being said, I conclude this article, hoping the information presented here will help you make your Windows XP look as cool as can be, and make your Windows Vista friends envy you! One more thing - if you find a great Windows XP theme, don't be a bad boy/girl, and get back here to tell us about it, all right? Good luck!